I Can Hear The Bells
by Aspen-SiredBySpike
Summary: [Post Eclipse] Bella gets into a conversation with Alice that makes her mind change for the better on being Edward's fiancé. When he gets back, how will he react to Bella's new found joy? Based on I Can Hear The Bells from Hairspray. EdwardBella oneshot.


**A/N: I know this is a little longer than a oneshot but I couldn't fir my ideas into any less amount of words. This is an Edward/Bella oneshot based on the song _I Can Hear The Bells_ from _Hairspray_. For new readers to my work, you can find my other Twilight oneshot based on a _Hairspray_ song (_It Takes Two_) and my oneshot based on _Something There_ from_ Beauty and the Beast_ at my author's page. Hope you enjoy it! Next up (I think) will be _Without Love,_ an Edward/Bella, Jasper/Alice oneshot.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or any of the characters.**

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**I Can Hear The Bells**

"Oh Bella, I can't believe it! This is going to be amazing! I'm so glad you caved and are letting me plan you're wedding; even though I knew you would…" Alice squealed as she circled me like a vulture.

"Alice, please, could you try not to make such a big deal out of this?" I asked, scowling at just how elated she was to turn me into her human doll for the weeks to come.

"Big deal? This is your wedding Bella! How can I not make a big deal?" She exclaimed, gliding into her closet that I'm pretty sure was double the size of my room at Charlie's house. She emerged only moments later, a light purple bag in her hand.

I stared doubtfully at it, knowing that Alice and a shopping bag was not a good combination.

"Here," She thrust the bag into my hand and spun me towards the bathroom that was situated just beside the closet. "Go try this on. I'm taking you out and I can't have you being seen in those tattered old sweat pants and that ratty t-shirt."

"But…" I trailed off, staring dubiously down at the bag in my hands that no doubt contained an outfit worth more than my entire wardrobe combined.

"Go." Alice demanded, pointing a well manicured finger towards the bathroom.

Pouting, I turned around and trudged over to her bathroom, grumbling to myself, "Stupid shop-a-holic vampire."

"I heard that!" She called from the bed where she chose to take up residence while I got changed at my tortoise-slow human speed.

"I thought the only one I gave permission to take me hostage was Edward." I retorted, trying to make my trip as slow as possible.

"You did. But it was me or La Push: you choose."

I grimaced at the thought. After that last conversation with Jacob, I was positive that I was never going to step foot over the La Push borderline again; not that I'd be able to soon enough anyways…

Finally reaching the bathroom, I stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind me. Setting the lilac colored bag down on the counter, I closed my eyes and reached inside. My fingers wrapped around something soft. Carefully removing it from the bag, I opened my eyes and gasped at the article of clothing. Clenched in my hands was a pastel blue cashmere sweater. It was overly plain with a somewhat drooping neckline, but nothing to showy. It was exactly like something I would pick out for myself, that is, if I was willing to spend a couple hundred dollars on a sweater that would probably get buried in one of my dresser drawers after a month, never to be taken out again.

Setting it carefully down on the cool, smoky marble, I turned back to the bag and pulled out the other item weighing it down. Next out were a pair of designer jeans, definitely looking more like something Alice would pick out compared to my lovely new sweater. These looked as if they would be skin tight and very low-rise. They were of a darker wash than any of my faded jeans at home but evidently, what Alice wants you to wear, you end up wearing.

Sighing, I set them down and began to strip off. After much fighting with the jeans, I stood before the floor-length mirror, studying my new outfit. The sweater was actually much more form fitting than I had realized but it was still modest enough for my taste. The jeans on the other hand, well they were a match made in fashion hell. The tight denim scratched my skin as I experimented in walking back and forth, a feeble attempt to make them looser. It's not that they didn't fit, on the contrary, they fit me better than anything I had bought for myself, but I still wasn't comfortable in Alice-esque clothing yet. When I got changed in a few weeks however, body and soul, my mind may change…

Tossing my t-shirt and sweats into the bag, I reluctantly emerged back into Alice's personal palace. Her golden eyes immediately fell on me, a silvery gasp escaping her pale lips.

"Oh, Bella! You look amazing!" She cried, jumping up from the bed to scrutinize me. "That sweater looks fabulous on you, just like I knew it would… And those jeans! I don't think even Rosalie could make them look that good."

"I highly doubt that, Alice." I mumbled as I tossed the bag into a corner before looking for my shoes.

During her rambling session on how good I looked, I scoured her entire room for my sneakers but couldn't find a trace of them.

"Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Where are my sneakers? I was positive I left them up here…"

"You mean those worn out old Addidas?

"Yes."

"You're not getting those back." Alice smirked as she bounced over to her closet again.

"What do you mean I'm not getting them back? You're forcing me to go out with you, I need my sneakers! I refuse to go to town in socks!" I exclaimed, gesturing down to my plain white socks, knowing well enough that Alice couldn't see me.

"Now where did I put... A-ha!" I heard her chirp. In a blur, she was standing in front of me, a shoebox in hand. To fast for me to see, she discarded the box and held out a pair of silvery satin flats.

She chuckled at my bewildered expression, laying them on the ground before me.

"What? You didn't think I'd let you leave the house in a pair of old sneakers, did you?" She smiled as I groaned, slipping into my new shoes. Once again, they were a perfect fit.

"Lovely!"

I blanched, taking a final look down at myself, the image of a three or four digit price tag entering my mind, not including the cents mark.

"Oh, come on Bella, you must like it somewhat, I know for a _fact_ that Edward will."

"Edward likes my old sweat pants just fine." I replied, smiling dreamily as his statue-like face flooded my thoughts. "He said they were cute."

"My brother says a lot of things but I know that he will like this," She gestured her lithe hands down the length of my body, "A whole lot better. Besides, he absolutely adores you in blue."

"Whatever."

She sighed, tossing back her head of ebony spikes as she linked her arm with mine. "I always knew you two were perfect for each other! I can just imagine it now, Bella! You in that beautiful dress I got for you, Edward looking dashing in a black tuxedo, smiling at each other as you say your vows…"

"Please Alice, let's not talk about that now…"

"But Bella, you have no clue how long I've been waiting for this moment! Just think of it!" She began walking at an oddly crawling pace out of her room, never releasing my arm from her hold. "I can hear the bells, well don't you hear them chime?"

"No." I replied shortly, staring at her like she was going mad.

"I can hear your heartbeat keeping perfect time."

I strained my ears, trying to listen to the sound of my heart. It was unusually slow today, probably because Edward was out with everyone else hunting.

"And all because he touched you, he looked at you and stared. Yes he bumped you, your human heart was unprepared, when he tapped you, and knocked you off your feet-"

"I may have tripped numerous times because of Edward, but he never knocked me over." I defended, staring at my best friend with what I had hoped was hard eyes.

"One little touch now your life is complete." She continued as she led me down the hall. "Because when he nudged you, love put you in a fix-"

"It did not!" I proclaimed, not liking the fact that Alice was practically retelling me the story of my life since I met Edward better than I even knew it.

"Don't deny it Bella, I _know_ it did." She grinned, nudging my side as we made our way down the stairs. "It hit you just like a ton of bricks…"

"Roughly the same feeling when Emmett hugs me too tight." I laughed, causing Alice to giggle as well.

"Your heart burst, now you know what life is about; one little touch and love's knocked you out. I can hear the bells while your head is spinning. I can hear the bells as something's beginning. My sister said that girl who looks like you could never win his love, well just wait and see."

"Rosalie… That figures."

"Don't listen to her, as you know by know, she's just jealous because you have the choice she never had. Anyways, I can hear the bells; just hear them chiming. I-"

"Let me guess," I cut her off as we stepped out into the early evening sunset, causing Alice's skin to glisten like a thousand diamonds. Blinking, I changed my statement to a more obvious one. "Um, Alice?"

"What?"

"You do realize that it's sunny out still and that we can't leave the yard."

"Oh!" She observed, glancing upwards at the setting sun. "So it is. Oh well, it won't be long until the moon comes up and then I'm taking you out to Olympia since we never actually got there yet."

"Olympia? But that's miles away! I have to be home at a decent hour!" I cried, remembering Charlie's new curfew he set for eleven after finding out that Edward and I were engaged. He hadn't let me stay a night at the Cullen's since then either.

"No problem, Bella! Charlie may adore me but he worships Esme. I got her to talk to him before she left with the others and told her not to give in her argument of staying with me for the weekend even if she had to resort to begging."

Esme begging?" I just couldn't picture it.

"And… ?" I asked, already seeming knowing the answer.

"Yes, of course. You and me are supposedly staying in a hotel just a few minutes from the mall. Esme gave Charlie the number so he could call to check and make sure that we checked in. Needless to say, Esme already booked a room under the name Cullen so the clerk will tell him that we're there. We're really going to come straight back here once we're done." She replied, waving off my questioning look.

"But we didn't check in." I stated blandly.

"No need to. I got Jasper to take a quick trip up there before the hunt, check in, and then leave without checking out. As far as any of the hotel staff know, we're just out at the moment."

"You're brilliant, Alice."

"I know." She said as she pulled me into a short, light hug. "So, what was it that you were going to say before?"

"What?" I racked my brain, "Oh! Let me guess, you could hear the bells again?"

"Right you are blushing beauty!" I blushed at the nickname, causing her to let out another silvery laugh. "Look, you're temperature is climbing!" She pointed to my cheeks before grabbing my hand and dragging me out around the back of the house to the massive lawn that rested on the river's edge, right before it met the forest. "You can't contain you're joy because you've finally found the boy you have been missing. Listen!"

I fought against her pull, attempting to hear what she had although it would be pretty impossible for me to, what with her having ultra sensitive hearing.

"What? What am I listening for?" I asked after a minute, not hearing a thing.

"I can hear the bells!" She hollered, her voice echoing through the silence of the fast invading dusk. Dropping my hand, she began to dance in a fair sized circle around me. "Round one, he asked you on a date."

"Well, he never really asked me out, unless you count saving me from a bunch of drunken lunatics and then taking me to dinner a date." I pointed out, remembering that beautiful night in Port Angeles. The night I found out his secret.

"Round two, you primped but weren't late."

"Late? How could I be late? _He_ was the one who followed _me_ into the city, not the other way around!" Gorgeous, sneaking vampire who stalked me while I accompanied my friends dress shopping for the dance.

"Round three was when you kissed inside his car!"

"In reality, our first kiss was at the meadow. I sort of fainted."

"Oh! I'm sure that would've been adorable! I'll have to hound the details out of my dear brother Edward later…" Only Alice would think me fainting was adorable. "You didn't go all the way, but now as I've heard, and witnessed," She pointed to her head, "You'll go pretty far."

I could feel the blush that had just disappeared creeping up my neck again. Within a week, Edward and I had reversed our arguments about virtue, which now led to him pursuing me to break the boundaries every once and awhile.

"Round four, he asked you for his hand."

His fiancé. Edward's soon-to-be bride. Mrs. Bella Cullen. I guess I couldn't deny that I was warming up to the idea a little. Okay, maybe more than a little, but Alice's tale had me riveted in what was my real life fairy tale.

"Round five, I've booked the wedding band."

"Nothing fancy I hope."

"Bella, have a little faith? I know how you and Edward feel about me doing this so I've taken every single one of your personal details into account; including the fact that you love it when Edward plays the piano. I stole some of his compositions, including what I heard was your lullaby and gave them to a pianist to learn. He's the only musician I hired."

I sighed, relieved. She was right, I enjoyed listening to Edward's music almost as much as he did writing it.

"Thank you, Alice." I whispered as I stared down at my shoes, "I'm really glad now that you're the one who is doing this. Vegas can wait."

"I'm really glad that you're letting me do this." She answered, closing in on me as she closed her tiny hands over mine. "But what do you mean 'Vegas can wait'… ?"

"Well, I do am going to have an eternity right? Who says I can't get married to Edward more than once? I'm sure those vows will have to be renewed sometime or later."

Her face lit up as she began waltzing me around the football field sized lawn. Ignoring all other thoughts besides the fact that I was finally having fun for once when Edward wasn't around, I haphazardly attempted to keep up.

"By round six-" She began.

"Much to everyone's surprise…" I added.

"The precious little human girl will take home the prize! I can hear the bells!"

"My ears are ringing."

"I can hear the bells!"

"My bridesmaids are singing," I beamed at Alice, continuing to let her lead me around the grassy ballroom floor. "Everybody said that a guy who is such a gem-"

"Edward my not be a gem but he sure sparkles like one." My pixie-like friend quipped.

"Won't look my way but the laughs on them because I can hear the bells!"

"Your father will smile."

"I can hear the bells."

"As he walks you down the aisle. Your mother will cry but you won't see because you and Edward are French kissing!"

A few hundred meters away, just before the forest's edge, Emmett stopped in his tracks on the way back to the house. "Listen," He said, making everyone halt as well.

"I can hear the bells!" The voice carried through the trees, meeting them at just a little more than a whisper.

"Is that… ?" Carlisle began, looking straight ahead.

"Alice." Jasper finished, training his eyes in the same direction.

"I can hear the bells, my head is reeling."

"And that's-" Esme started.

"Bella." Edward answered, obviously as stunned as anyone else.

"I can hear the bells and I can't stop the pealing. Everybody thought that he wouldn't like what he saw, but you knew he'd look inside of you."

"What on earth are they doing?" Rosalie wondered out loud, trying to decipher the meaning of their cryptic phrases.

"I have no idea." Emmett said, "But I'm going to find out." With that, he shot off through the trees in a blur of white and orange.

"Not before me!" Jasper cried, following him.

"Or me!" Edward then took off like a speeding bullet after his brothers.

"Boys…" Rosalie muttered, refusing to waver from her elegant, unrushed pace.

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a glance but began walking behind their daughter, choosing to enjoy the rest of the way home.

Up ahead, the boys could hear the voices getting louder.

"I can hear the bells, today's just the start because-"

"I can hear the bells, and 'til death do us part. Even when we die-"

"Silly Bella, you'll never die!"

"Hey Emmett," Jasper called up ahead.

"What?" Emmett called back, not deterring from his path.

"I think your wife's calling you. You better go back before she gets angry with you."

A wave of calm flooded Emmett's built body, causing him to slow to a stop. Turning around and glaring at Jasper, he sulked off back towards his parents and Rosalie.

"Nice one, bro." Edward said, holding up a hand. Jasper met it in the air for a quick high five before taking off at full speed, Edward catching up quite easily. In no time, the two reached the forest's edge and decreased their pace to a walk. Making their way quietly out and across the river, they halted at the edge of the lawn, staring on in content confusion at their respective soul mates waltzing around on the grass, professing their emotions to the world under the now bright moonlight.

"You'll look down from up above-" Alice stopped, letting me fill in the next part.

"Remembering the night that we two fell in love!"

"You'll both shed a tear and he'll whisper as you're reminiscing, 'Listen'…"

"I can hear the bells!" I cried at the top of my lungs.

"I can hear the bells," She repeated, quieter this time.

"I can hear the bells." I whispered.

"We can hear the bells!" Two very familiar voice called out. Alice and I stopped dancing and looked across the field to see Edward and Jasper making their way towards us.

"Jasper!" Alice squealed, letting me go as she ran towards her husband, stopping right in front of him, doing nothing more than staring deep into his eyes, a brilliant smile overshadowing her other beautiful features.

"What? I don't get the same treatment?" Edward chuckled as he made his way towards me. I didn't reply as I continued walking towards him, concentrating hard on not tripping over my own feet in excitement that he was back.

When we finally reached each other, he wasted no time enveloping me in his stone hard grip, making me shiver in anticipation. Just as he leaned down to kiss me, Alice pulled me out of his arms and spun me over towards her.

"Hey! What's the big idea, Alice?" Edward groaned, evidently just as upset as I was at our broken embrace.

"We completely lost track of time and I have to get Bella out to Olympia for a few good hours of shopping before the mall closes." She explained quickly, dragging me towards her Porsche.

"No." Edward growled playfully. "She's staying with me tonight."

"But we were going to-"

"Alice, if you really want to go shopping that bad why don't you wait until morning and the four of us can go up to Olympia together." Jasper reasoned, stroking the side of her cheek, resulting in her letting her arms drop.

"But I want to go tonight." Alice pouted, sticking out her lip.

"Tomorrow. I promise." Jasper reassured as he led her towards the house, "Besides, we haven't really spent any alone time in awhile and I have the just thing…"

I blocked out the rest of the conversation, reminding myself of their love of privacy.

"So, I guess this means it's just you and me tonight." Edward murmured into my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist. I jumped slightly, not noticing that he had approached me.

"Where are the other?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Not back yet. Rosalie chose to walk with Esme and Carlisle, and Emmett well… He got sidetracked." He replied, quickly moving his mouth down to my throat where he left a trail of frosty kisses in his wake.

"So," He inserted in between kisses, "What exactly were you and Alice saying about bells?"

"Oh. That." I smiled, remembering the topic of our upcoming wedding that was growing ever nearer. "Alice got to talking and she seemed to sway my thoughts a little."

"To… ?"

"You weren't listening in? Edward Cullen, I am shocked!"

"I was listening at the first, and Alice was right. This outfit does look divine on you. It shows off your figure so well."

I blushed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night day even though I knew it couldn't have been over five.

"Tha-thanks." I stuttered as he turned me around in his arms and began kissing every part of my face except my lips.

"And what might those thoughts be that Alice seemed to sway?"

"Thoughts about our wedding." Edward stopped abruptly, his mouth inches away from my forehead.

"Please don't say it's called off. I don't think I could live with that, ironically enough." I smiled at his joke and looked up into his deep gold eyes, smoldering as they met mine.

"Don't worry, it's not called off. Let's just say that now more than ever before, I can hear the bells, and not in a frightening way."

Smirking in realization, Edward picked me up and spun me around before encompassing me in his arms and taking off towards the house at breakneck speed. Before I knew it, I was being laid down onto the honey colored duvet, Edward taking his place beside me.

"Bella," He asked after a minute of silence, the only sound being that of my ragged breathing as he ran his hand over the hem of my sweater, causing it to rise up slighting, allowing his hand to slither icily over my stomach, causing me nothing but sweet pleasure. "You're truthfully happy about being my fiancé?"

"Edward," I said, closing my eyes to the darkness. "I've been saying it all night and now I'll say it again: I can hear the bells."

"I'm glad." I opened my eyes to find him hovering gently over me, one arms holding his weight off of me while the one that was on my stomach worked it's way under me and found refuge at the small of my back. "Because I have been hearing them since the moment I set eyes on you." He whispered sweetly before molding his lips to the shape of mine, making that very moment one of the last conscious gestures I remembered that night.


End file.
